Many of you may know that the US seems to be the home of gratuitous and often inappropriate PDA (Public displays of affection). I am not talking about holding hands - I'm talking about full-on make out sessions in restaurants, full body groping in the grocery store isle, extreme foreplay on the beach.
Most of the intense PDA makes me uncomfortable. Either it's just wrong place/wrong time or the people are not ANYONE I want to see involved in such activity. If I want to see that much groping, I have a variety of AV sites bookmarked on my inter-webs, thank you very much!
Japan is known for restraint in public emotion AND physical displays. Certainly I see many girls holding hands and walking jauntily down the street. It is great to see these friends / sisters / mom-daughter combos so pleased. And I see young men with arms linked to share umbrellas in the rain. But I have yet to see a public kiss or grope!
What I do find adorable is the covert or "cute" PDA I see here. I see couple on the train side by side on the seat - fingertips barely touching, and her head on his shoulder. Supposedly she has fallen asleep? Hm, if it were me, I'd be faking sleep to to lean my head over too!
The other fun way is the train stance. People are often pressed together in the crowded train cars - we expect a level of closeness then. But when the train car clears, and Happy Couple stay bunched up - total cute PDA!
Do you think that there is less PDA in Tokyo because ppl have easy access to love hotels?
ReplyDeleteI think that in general - Japanese people are not so "into" expressing emotion in public; be it anger, rudeness, or desire! Although I must say that easy access to inexpensive hotels in a bonus of its own!
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